The Sky Cries For The Six Paths
by DirectionOfTime
Summary: You're supposed to be born with blood-line limits, aren't you? Not necessarily.  It's amazing what the fog of war can cover over, when you want it to. Minor MadaraXOC  and spoilers for Vol. 54 onwards.


Please be warned - spoilers!

I had fun with this idea! Hope you guys like it too! :D

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><p><strong> {The Sky Cries} / [Uchiha Madara] / {For The Six Paths} / [One-Shot] / **

_Amegakure no sato_: Village hidden in the rain, although the title most likely referred to the atmospheric phenomena of evaporated water condensing in the atmosphere and falling as liquid precipitation, _this_ village had only been hidden, and nearly obliterated by, the rain of war. Intense war had ravaged the diminutive village for years; the three great nations which encircled it, Earth, Wind and Fire often used it as a battle ground between them – a small unaffiliated country which was too small to even begin competing with the five great nations. There were countless skirmishes – some spilled over to almighty battles which lasted for days, claimed hundreds of lives and raised some to legendary status, creating legends, icons, _gods_ where men had gone to battle. As the deceptively young looking woman padded silently down a street, amid the almost blinding rain, she gave the tiniest hint of a smile at how easy it had been to infiltrate… after all whatever Rain Shinobi were left, they had their hands full quelling another skirmish or taking the first opportunity to rest and tend their wounds in some days. She was wrapped in a large, thick, waterproof cloak, with such a deep hood and high collar, she felt swallowed up by it; where she could retreat into it – to see everyone around her, but they couldn't see her – the shadows over her face too deep for anyone to tell who was looking back at them. However, the woman was as quiet and secretive as perhaps her cloak implied; she had short-ish, spiky, messy, mid-neck length dark blue hair, so dark that only in certain lights did it ever take on a bluish tinge. Her eyes were blue too, a deep, dark blue flashed with a more icy cold shade; although she forced them blank, they still told of a cloudy past.

The street was almost completely deserted; the occasional child would ask her for food or money but she stopped for no one, just continued to walk noting how many of the buildings had gone to ruin and any civilians had already fled – the entire village was nothing but shinobi - and everyone was an enemy. Well, everyone except herself, that it, she'd been wandering for quite a while; never had anywhere to call home and that was exactly how she liked it.

She couldn't resist playing the ghost.

She rounded a final corner, her stomach was getting the better of her – it _wasn't_ happy at having been deprived of food for so many days and she thought it would be wise to find lunch and a shelter from the rain for a few hours to consider her next moves. It took a while, but eventually found her way to the lowest levels of the city, down hidden, dark alleyways where even the rain struggled to reach. She feared little, and was rewarded for her persistence by finding a run down, gritty looking small bar; most of these places tended to serve at least _some_ food. Pushing aside the flaps and wondering in, she saw a handful of men sat around the tables- the room barely a few meters across; she could easily feel their chakras – and although all were slightly cold and disturbed, the price of warfare she supposed – another was there too, far more cold, malicious and stronger than probably three times the other's collective chakra. Knowing the person was sat by the door, she decided to order something and maybe go and join him; it had been a while since she'd sensed someone so powerful and it was getting boring being around so many shinobi she could kill her little finger. Walking right up to the bar, grateful the light was so dark and the hearts so sad,

"Excuse me, do you serve any food?" She queried, the barman's eyes widening slightly, obviously not expecting to hear a feminine voice from under the deep hood;

"Uh… well, only a little rice,"

"Any fish?" Although he wasn't shinobi, she knew how to tell a liar, but surprisingly, he wasn't one,

"No, only rice…. Would you like anything to drink?"

"Warm sake?" Her questions were so abrupt, that it seemed to be a surprise to him;

"Y-Yes, please take a seat and I will bring it to you,"

"Thank you," She turned around, finally setting eyes on the man in the corner and without hesitation walked over to his table and took a seat opposite; his chakra didn't change but she could guess easily enough that he didn't want company.

He wore a mask over his face, which had a white chin, and from the top, were his forehead would be were dark stripes of jet black, flashed through with a silvery grey and only a single eye hole over his right eye; he was dressed completely in black with a simple, thick black cloak over the top and his hood up. He shifted slightly, to look up at his unexpected guest at first making no move – after all he had nothing to fear – they eyed each other carefully for a few moments,

"Are you here for business or pleasure?" She asked, her eyes averted to look over his mask, unbeknownst to her, he raised an eyebrow, on the inside of course,

"Who's requesting the information?" She could detect little in his tone, although it wasn't, slightly to her surprise, completely stand-off-ish,

"A lie detector," She responded playfully as the barman slowly, cautiously approached the table with a bottle of sake and a cup in his hand,

"Here you are, miss…. A-are you alright?" She looked up to him, nodding,

"Yes, thank you," He looked uncomfortable, didn't he trust the masked man? Oh well, maybe Amegakure will provide her with some fun; he backed away and she returned her attention to the man in front of her,

"You're a senor type?" He queried, she was impressed,

"You're not stupid then," It was a little cheeky, perhaps, but noted the spike in his chakra, _something struck a chord_ she thought to herself with great amusement, "So, which was it?"

"Pleasure,"

"Really?" She poured out a small cup of sake and allowed it to rest for a moment, "You know, with such strong, vibrant chakra, you should think a little more before lying," She took a sip of the sweet, warm alcoholic liquid; he gave no visible sign whatsoever, but he gave a miniscule smirk to himself,

"Hmm… maybe I should…. Do you like to play such games like these? Trap a man unexpectedly and then not even allow him to lie?" She could hear the hint of amusement in his voice, "That's rather harsh," She couldn't resist a smile,

"Do you think so? Here I was under the impression lying isn't a desirable quality," She took another sip of sake and the barman returned again with a bowl of rice. She hid her disappointment at how little the bowl was, picking up her chopsticks and took a small bite,

"Hm-hm-hm, that's a tricky one… what about 'sometimes it is and sometimes it isn't'?" He continued, shifting in his seat lightly,

"That works… and in front of me that 'sometimes isn't' is permanent!" She spoke with a playful tone – wondering how far this man was willing to continue the game,

"I had a feeling your answer would be along those lines," She could hear the smirk in his voice; they continued to sit in a silence for a little while, neither speaking as she finished her rice, still feeling a pang of hunger, pushing the bowl aside she returned her attention the masked man,

"What's the name?" She took another sip of sake, now feeling far warmer for the spirit,

"Why are you so interested in little me?" She lowered her voice a little, looking squarely at him,

"Chakra like yours doesn't 'hang around' in a slum like this," She finished her sake and shifted slightly, feeling ready to move on… if there was nothing left here, that is,

"Is your sense limited to chakra?"

"You could say that… I can see form, nature in chakra, its strength gives it a definition… for example, the man behind the bar is skilled with Katon and Suuiton elements, although he'd pretend not to know any – war really isn't his thing," She answered nonchalantly, again feeling a sense of curiosity from him, as she rose to her feet and walked back to the bar to settle her bill. As she turned around to see that her 'companion' had already left, smirking to herself, she again lifted the short flaps and stepped back out into the heavy rain, feeling again like an island. Her steps were quiet and diminutive and her senses wide open, knowing exactly what was happening, as she continued on her path, leaded her ever further from the occupied centre of the town, she began to find more and more derelict buildings. Most were once family homes, with almost everything left, photographs, utensils, clothes, bedding – it was quite depressing; she paused just inside the door way of one house forming a seal with her two right forefingers straight, clasped in the palm of her left, with her other fingers held by the respective thumb, focusing her chakra. _Something's happening… a powerful individual… no a great group of individuals, the chakra malicious, and with many different element users…they're on the move coming to the Rain...but still some days away; from the leaf maybe?_ _But in the mean time…_ She released her hands and turned around to face him,

"Couldn't get enough of me, eh?" She smirked, at his relaxed, but authoritative posture, one hand on his hip;

"Will you help me?"

"What will I get out of it?" She took a step forward, hiding her hands inside her cloak again,

"You will become a part of the beginning of the end of history," She raised an eyebrow,

"What fancy words, hmm…" She already made her decision, but was having fun toying with him;

"Don't play with me, or I'll kill you….one way or another I'll accomplish my plan; you're help will only achieve it negligibly faster,"

"Then why are you bothering with me?" He stepped towards her,

"Because I don't have time to waste; it will accomplish it with or without you… but I would like your help,"

"Very well, then, you'll have it," She answered, observing his nod,

"Good…. What is your name?" He turned and walked into the kitchen of the little house, she followed him, sensing no directed maliciousness towards her,

"Well, at one time I was called Tsubi Asuka,"  
>"'At one time'? What are you called now?" She pulled the hood from her head, running a hand through her hair, now feeling too hot being so bundled up,<p>

"The same I suppose… no one calls me anything because there is no one to call me." He could hear the mischievousness in her voice, as he took a seat at one of the tables, pulling a map out of his pocket, she walked up, looking over his shoulder as he didn't seem to much mind,

"I need to show you what I want your help with… And I was once called Uchiha Madara," Her thin eyebrows visibly raised in surprise,

"Really? Now that _is_ a curious thing… by all accounts you were killed decades ago… but I suppose it does explain that chakra of yours," It struck Madara, very clearly at that point, that this girl had a wider knowledge than her young-ish face implied, smirking to himself at just how useful she could prove to be; he pointed a finger at the map, demonstrating exactly what he wanted done.

~~/*******/~~

About two and a half days had passed since Asuka and Madara had met in Amegakure and the two leapt swiftly and silently through the night to their target's location. They headed further out, travelling around for them had been easy – all of the forces of Amegakure had been engaged in a battle – one of the most terrible of the war so far. Hanzou of the Salamander was proving his military might by crushing his enemy – the Leaf shinobi were not to be taken lightly, as the night had fallen, the battle thinned but the air was still occasionally punctured by the cries of men facing their final seconds – the battle showed no sign of ceasing. Madara's hand shot out, bringing them both to a halt on the top of a thin roof,

"Is he alone?" Asuka brought her hands together in a seal, as she had done before with her two forefingers clasped in the pinky and ring finger of her other hand, as she focused her chakra,

"Hmm… no, there are two others in the house, although some distance from him… they're all asleep,"

"That will do, let's go," They jumped down, Madara slipping through the wall straight to the boy as Asuka found her way through a window; as she arrived on the scene, Madara was finished with a series of complex seals, stood over a boy who couldn't be older than maybe five. Only the tip of his nose down to his chin was visible under his mop of bright red hair; Madara his hands still in a complex seal, touched the boy's forehead as he muttered something under his breath. Asuka could feel the masked shinobi's chakra alter by a sudden drop in his and a spike in the boy's chakra. Although it had a familiarity she couldn't quite place;

"Let's go," Madara issued his order quietly and they left as quickly as they'd arrived. The weather provided a momentary window as they leapt back up to a ledge still in close proximity to the boy's house;

"What did you do to him?" Madara didn't answer at first, as she crouched low next to him, he seemed just to be lost in his thoughts, not really wanting to repeat herself, but thinking it necessary, she opened her mouth after a while but he responded before she could get a word out;

"That boy will bring about a dawn,"

"Huh? What does that mean?" Her eyes averted with her attention as a sudden crash and hushed voices came from the house.

As Asuka and Madara look on, they could see two leaf nin had infiltrated the house, although they focused mostly of searching the kitchen, she supposed they were look for food; it didn't surprise her, it wasn't something much easily found in the Rain. She could see through the windows as well as feel what was happening by the emotional turmoil of the houses' occupants. Three of them, including the boy, were huddled in a corner – they felt terrified, and weak… they tried to escape by the boy was clumsy, drew attention to them, a fight, two were dead. Asuka's face contorted in horror as she finally recognized the spike and feel of the chakra within the boy, just to be sure, she leapt away, Madara stayed close as she found a window and looked on,

"I-I had no idea there were still civilians here… I'm sorry, kid," One of the shinobi knelt down to his eye level, Asuka squinted for a moment as the boy's chakra suddenly flooded with maliciousness and spiked to a gigantic terror as the child's eyes were finally visible; as instead of a usual iris colour and pupil, the entire eye had taken on a yellow hue, punctured by black, concentric circles,

"M-Madara, you… you," She could barely form a sentence as realization of the extent of Madara's powers found its way to her,  
>"I told you, that boy will bring about a dawn… using the power of one of the six paths of Rikdou Sennin… by using the Rinnegan," Asuka turned to find his gaze, which she finally managed seeing a Sharingan activated; they held each others gaze for a few moments, Asuka not really wanting to consider what Madara's plans were in the long run for giving this boy such a power.<p>

"I'm satisfied now, that it has been activated and is effective… suits him, don't you think?" She could hear the smile in his voice as the rain began again; she, after a few moments, nodded, wanting to question Madara more;  
>"How can you be sure he won't die?" She eyed the boy, who collapsed just after the two shinobi were killed,<p>

"Well, I can't… but the future I see is dependant on how much pain Nagato can endure… if he survives he'll be one of my greatest assets and if not… well, I'll just have to claim back the power and find another," They both rose to full height and without needing to exchange words, sprinted back through the night and the rain to their hideout. Asuka was steadily getting more and more drenched, her cloak had been nearly worn out by the unrelenting driving rain of Amegakure,

"Why did you choose him?" She asked again as just as they landed, walking inside, she didn't hesitated to peel off her cloak, her wet clothes clinging and accentuating her pleasing figure; Madara too peeled off his sodden cloak and remained thoughtful,

"Well, Amegakure hasn't been peaceful in decades – its known almost as much war as I have," They walked towards the kitchen – the only place in the half ruined house with furniture still useful - he eyed her carefully as they each found a seat, "I've been here for a little while and I've done a little research, the Uzumaki clan blood he holds is well suited to the Rinnegan," He explained, finding a drink of water from the secret stash of supplies they kept hidden;

"So that was your 'pleasure' is Amegakure?" She queried, with a teasing smile, fancying she could almost _hear_ him return it;

"Indeed it was,"

"I suppose my job is done now, is it? You don't need any more of my help?" She turned to walk away, with the intention of finding dry clothes, she returned a few minutes later, redressed in a formal and feminine jinbei style top and typical shinobi trousers (herself, of course, being a highly skilled Kuniochi, but with no village association) with a fresh dry cloak slung over her arm. She too fetched some food from their store; some bread and a small bag of rice grains,

"Well, technically yes, I have no further use for you," She raised her eyebrows, finding herself now used to Madara's rather abrupt and to-the-point style of speaking.

Asuka nodded politely as she turned to walk away, organizing her things before she was to leave, in the back of her head decided to begin making her way to the lightening country. Although secretly promising herself to come back to Amegakure one day, to see how that boy and his Rinnegan were fairing. She could hear Madara rise to his feet and walk up behind her, as she crouched, fitting a few things into her bag,

"What are your plans now? I can't imagine that you'll stay here without good reason," She didn't meet his eyes at first, as she rose back to full height, his hand reaching up to his mask as he spoke;

"Well, Kirigakure no sato needs my help next," By the time he'd finished speaking his mask had been completely removed, his face remarkably young for how old the man must be, a few wrinkles perhaps, but the shinobi lifestyle wasn't easy on the body,

"'Needs'?"She queried, sensing that his definition was somewhat liberal, "'Do' they need or are they 'going to' need your help?" A playful smile finding her face, as a rather genuinely amused one found his as he stepped further forward pushing her back against the wall before grasping her lips with his in a surprisingly passionate tug-of-war. He pressed his body flush to her, stealing away every inch of pleasure either of them could find; their tongues as skilled as each others, eventually, he ended the kiss and replaced his mask as he stepped away,

"Is that how you thank everyone who offers you aid?" She questioned playfully, dragging her cloak and bag around her shoulders, as he stood still, giving nothing (further) away;

"I thought you'd understand my desire as a nomadic shinobi like myself… We're not as much the prudish sort … Besides I'll soon be forced to step right back into the shadows and although I may be immortal, I am still human," She could hear the playfulness to his words and flashed him one more knowing smile before turning her back and wandering away, still able to taste the scent of his lips on her own.


End file.
